angel4747

Hi ladies,

Thank you SO much for your feedback, not only about the tests but about AGUS/AGC as well. I find myself going back and forth between worrying about the tests and worrying about the possibility of cancer, so advice in both areas is greatly appreciated.

It was quite helpful to read about your experiences with the colpo, ECC, etc. I’m so relieved to know that not everyone has a horror story to tell about these tests, although I certainly feel bad for the women who have experienced major pain during them. I hope I’m not one of them! I’m willing (I think) to do the first round of tests with only ibuprofen (800 mg!), but if things go badly, you can be sure I’ll demand stronger pain meds the next time I have to get these tests done.

I’m sure I’ll have tons of questions throughout this process, and I thank you in advance for your help. Here are a few new questions for you when you have time:

* Is “endometrial sampling” different from “endometrial biopsy”?

* Can the endometrial biopsy and ECC be performed during the same doctor’s visit, or does the endo biopsy have to be performed separately?

* How does the doctor prevent the endo biopsy from being contaminated with cervical/vaginal cells when pulling out the instrument?

* My thoughts behind the pelvic/transvaginal ultrasound are that I may need to have my ovaries checked if my initial tests come back OK. I’ve read that a small percentage of women with AGUS pap results are diagnosed with cancer of the ovaries or fallopian tubes. Your thoughts?

* Regarding the HPV/DNA test, my thinking is that if the initial tests are negative, it would be helpful (to both my doctor and me) to know whether I have high-risk HPV when making decisions about next steps/future testing. Do you think it might be helpful to know HPV status in that regard? (For some interesting reading, see pages 8-9 of this chart from the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology: http://www.asccp.org/pdfs/consensus/algorithms_cyto_07.pdf)

* Although I worry about what the doctor/pathologist will find, I’m also worried about what they WON’T find. I know that sounds odd, but it seems with an AGUS pap, you can’t be too sure of anything if your results are negative. I have some other unrelated medical problems, and it’s been my experience that health issues can be very hard to pinpoint. I’m half expecting a cancer diagnosis, and I’m half expecting them not to find anything wrong at all. If you received an AGUS pap result and then were told that the ECC and other tests were negative, what course of action would you take? Get a second opinion? Request additional testing? What tests? Would it change anything if you knew my father died of colon cancer at age 47 and that I had a small skin cancer lesion (basal cell carcinoma) removed from my back when I was 31? I know I’m probably getting ahead of myself, but it makes me feel better to know what my various courses of action will be.

Thanks again for your help!